NPD: Low-cost Android smartphones to seize 80% of emerging markets

Android will rule the world, we already know that. However, we were still surprised to read NPD’s findings that suggest smartphones running Google’s mobile platform will reach a penetration rate of 80% of total smartphones in Africa, India and China by 2015.

NPD defines low-cost Android smartphones as those running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or 2.3 (Gingerbread), with specs that include EDGE connectivity and 600MHz processor. Price wise, we’re talking about phones that cost $150 or less, and are made by companies like Huawei, MicroMax, Motorola, Samsung, Spice and ZTE.

But it’s not going to be an easy ride for Android, which will face competition from Samsung’s Bada, Nokia’s Meltemi and even Microsoft’s Windows Phone, all of which want a slice of the ever-growing emerging markets of the world.

Some other finding from NPD’s report include:

Some 340 million low-cost Android smartphones will be shipped in 2015.

The low-cost Android handset segment will cause some fragmentation in the Android platform.